1. AN INTRODUCTION TO THE IUCN RED LIST OF ECOSYSTEMS
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems Training
@redlisteco
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems

2. Conservation imperatives
Which ecosystems are most at risk of large changes that involve loss of diversity?
How great are the risks?
How soon are the changes likely to occur?

3. Why an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems?
Ecological processes:
- Change in ecosystem function
- Dependencies/interactions among species
- Far-reaching changes in common species
- Ecosystem change can precede species loss (extinction debt)
Complements information about risks to species
- Strengthens conservation messages
Ecosystems & ecosystem services as essential components of land/water use planning

4. Support conservation in resource use and management decisions by
Why an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems?
Goal:
Support conservation in resource
use and management decisions by
identifying ecosystems most at risk
of biodiversity loss

5. IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
Scientific, transparent & repeatable process for assessing risk of ecosystem collapse
Applicable & useful across ecosystem types
Designed to bring different data types together
Focus on ecological processes not just patterns
Separate risk assessment & conservation priority
Red Lists
Species
Ecosystems
Risk of
extinction
Risk of
Collapse

6. Why assess ecosystems as well as species?
Explicitly addresses ecological processes
Takes into account interactions among multiple species
Encompasses all system components & context
Include common species important in structure and function of ecosystems (not just rare species)
Comprehensive coverage is more tractable for ecosystems than species
- 1.6 million species described, 88,000 (0.6%) assessed for Red Listing

7. Scientific development of RLE
Global consultation – workshops, meetings, conferences
Concepts published 2009, 2011
Criteria & scientific foundations published 2013
Formal adoption of categories and criteria by IUCN in 2014

8. RLE objectives
Assess all freshwater, marine, terrestrial & subterranean ecosystem types of the world by 2025
Provide technical support at the sub-global level (e.g. regional, national, sub-national)
Support use of RLE Categories & Criteria in assessment of individual ecosystem types of particular interest to stakeholders

9. Assessments: targeted ecosystems

10. Assessments: national & regional

11. Assessments: global thematic
Seppo Tuominen

12. Committee for Scientific Standards
RLE governance
Secretariat
Caracas
Cambridge
Gland
Melbourne
Sydney
Steering Committee
Lead + Co-Lead, CEM RLE Thematic Group
Chair, CSS
Chair, CEM
Head, GEMP
Head, Science and Knowledge Unit
Select others
Committee for Scientific Standards
Chair
Deputy Chair
Members
RLTS representative
CEM Red List of Ecosystems Thematic Group

13. IUCN RLE programme Aim: Global coverage by 2025
Supporting RLE application: training, peer review, integration
Supporting fundamental aspects of RLE: standards, database, coordination, convening (learning, research, links to other products)
Exploring/testing
- Integration with other conservation tools
- Implementation: conservation, land/water use, economic decisions
Meeting needs for a global ecosystem assessment: Aichi targets, IPBES, SDGs
Convening to learn (experience), solve challenges (science), & explore actual/potential uses

14.
Guidelines, scientific documents, support tools, case studies, communications
English, Spanish and French
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems @redlisteco @redlist_of_ecosystems

15. Tools and resources RLE website and database (www.iucnrle.org)
Remap (
RLE Guidelines, training workbook, case studies
3-day training workshop curriculum (online to come)
Capacity building section on website (spread sheets, tutorials)
Excel calculators
- Absolute and proportional rate of decline
- Estimation of the risk of collapse
R package (“redlist”)
ArcGIS toolbox
User e-Forum

16. A tool for improving decision-making
RLE
National & International Targets (Aichi, SDGs, Bonn Challenge, CC)
Adaptive Management Strategies
Development Planning
Investment Decisions (Equator Principles, IFC PS6)
National Legislation
Private Sector (site selection, mitigation…)
Protected Area Planning
Public Awareness/
Environmental Education

17. A powerful tool for informing actions
Highlights need for action to protect threatened ecosystems and their biodiversity – or face loss of ecosystem services with economic impacts
Embraces ecosystem services & human inhabited ecosystems (links to food security)
Highlights need for restoration, and to reward good ecosystem management
Makes linkages with productive land/water use – engage Finance & Planning
Means for evaluating land/water use and development scenarios, managing for improved biodiversity and livelihood security; monitoring progress towards international targets; reporting on environmental impacts
Informing private sector decision making, environmental safeguards & sustainable finance
Long term, repeatable, impartial monitoring tool for national reporting (SDGs, Aichi targets, climate change)

18. Contact If you want to contact us, write us to:
Join our forum of evaluators in:
Follow us on:
IUCN Red List of Ecosystems
@redlisteco
@redlist_of_ecosystems

19. Thank you to our donors, supporters & partners